ipy:News & Announcementsindex.php?ipy/content/news
enIPYCopyright 20122012-05-21T20:06:00+00:00Five IPY Educational Posters available for downloadhttp://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/five_ipy_educational_posters_available_for_download/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/five_ipy_educational_posters_available_for_download/UNEP/GRID-Arendal, with financial support from the Research Council of Norway (ForskningsrEducators, Atmosphere, Ice, Land, Oceans, People, Space, Bi-polar, Norway2009-01-22T18:35:00+00:00Second Announcement: IPY Antarctic Sea Ice Workshophttp://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/second_announcement_ipy_antarctic_sea_ice_workshop_lucca_italy_march_22_24/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/second_announcement_ipy_antarctic_sea_ice_workshop_lucca_italy_march_22_24/Overview
The IPY sea ice workshop will bring together participants of the SIPEX and SIMBA cruises conducted in the Antarctic in spring 2007, as well as others interested in Antarctic sea ice processes, modelling and remote sensing.&nbsp;Participants, Ice, Oceans, Antarctic, Italy, Announcements2009-01-20T22:26:00+00:00LOHAFEX: An Indo-German iron fertilization experiment in the Southern Oceanhttp://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/lohafex_an_indo_german_iron_fertilization_experiment_in_the_southern_ocean/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/lohafex_an_indo_german_iron_fertilization_experiment_in_the_southern_ocean/LOHAFEX: An Indo-German iron fertilization experiment
What are the effects on the ecology and carbon uptake potential of the Southern Ocean?
Bremerhaven, January 13th 2008. The German research vessel Polarstern is currently on its way to the Southwest Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean. The team of 48 scientists (30 from India) on board left Cape Town on 7th January to carry out the Indo-German iron fertilization experiment LOHAFEX (LOHA is Hindi for iron, FEX stands for Fertilization EXperiment). About two weeks will be required to reach the area and carefully select a suitable location, after which a patch of 300 square kilometres will be fertilized with six tons of dissolved iron. This will lead to rapid growth of the minute, unicellular algae known as phytoplankton. These algae do not only provide the food sustaining oceanic life, but also play a key role in regulating concentrations of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. After about 45 days of interdisciplinary research, the expedition will end in Punta Arenas, Chile on 17th March 2009. LOHAFEX will provide more basic information to further our understanding of the role of ocean ecosystems in the global carbon cycle. It will help filling the gaps of knowledge mentioned by international conventions to classify the potential role of ocean fertilization as a means of reducing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere.
The scientific experiment is in accordance with the resolution of the London Convention on the regulation of ocean fertilization from October 2008 and the Decision of the Convention on Biological Diversity on ocean fertilization from May 2008 that call for further research to enhance understanding of ocean iron fertilization. For LOHAFEX, the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), India, and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association, Germany, have evaluated possible environmental impacts showing that this experiment will not cause damage to the environment. The level to which the surface-water iron concentrations will be enhanced during this experiment is an order of magnitude lower than natural iron levels in coastal marine waters. This concentration is so low that most analytical laboratories in the world cannot measure it. The fertilized waters, although located offshore, have been previously in contact with the coast of South America and South Georgia and contain coastal plankton species that are adapted to high iron concentrations. The size of the fertilized patch is considerably smaller than the impact of melting icebergs that may leave a swath of several hundred kilometers breadth of enhanced iron concentrations. Therefore LOHAFEX will contribute legitimate and much needed scientific research to the controversial discussions on ocean fertilization.
Alfred Wegener Institute and NIO are jointly conducting LOHAFEX, together with scientists from nine other institutions in India, Europe and Chile. Prof. Victor Smetacek (Germany) and Dr. Wajih Naqvi (India) are co-Chief Scientists. The experiment is part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two Institutes signed by the heads of their respective parent organisations, the Helmholtz Association, Germany, and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, in the presence of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr Angela Merkel and the Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on the 30th October 2007. Planning for the experiment has been underway since 2005.
The development and impact of the phytoplankton bloom on its environment and the fate of the carbon sinking out of it to the deep ocean will be studied in great detail with state-of-the-art methods by integrated teams of biologists, chemists and physicists. The design of the experiment is the same as that of previous experiments but more parameters will be monitored and the experiment will last longer. Five previous experiments carried out in the Southern Ocean, including two conducted from RV Polarstern in 2000 and 2004, have induced phytoplankton blooms of similar size and composition to natural blooms fertilized by iron in settling dust and from melting icebergs. However, in contrast to the remote oceanic regions previously fertilized, LOHAFEX will be located in a more productive region of the Southern Ocean inhabited by coastal species of phytoplankton. They grow faster and are more palatable to the zooplankton, including the shrimp-like krill, than their spiny open-ocean counterparts. Krill is the main food of Antarctic penguins, seals and whales but their stocks have declined by over 80% during the past decades, so their response to the iron-fertilized bloom (if they are present in the experimental area) will indicate whether the alarming decline is due to declining productivity of the region, for which there is evidence. The LOHAFEX patch will have a similar impact on the ecosystem as melting icebergs and is large enough to counteract the effects of dilution due to spreading over 45 days of the experiment.
Spending seventy days in a notoriously stormy stretch of ocean will be a strenuous experience for the scientists and crew on board Polarstern. Smetacek reports that bad weather was encountered shortly after leaving Cape Town, so many of the scientists are still adjusting to the movements of the ship. However, he is confident that this is a temporary phase and that soon everyone will be able to prepare the laboratories for the start of the experiments.
LOHAFEX is a contribution to POGO, the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (http://www.ocean-partners.org).
Notes for Editors:
Your contact persons at the Alfred Wegener Institute are Prof. Dr Victor Smetacek (email: Victor.Smetacek@awi.de) and Prof. Dr Ulrich Bathmann (phone: +49 471 4831-1275; email: Ulrich.Bathmann@awi.de). Your contact person in the public relations department is Folke Mehrtens (phone: +49 471 4831-2007; email: Folke.Mehrtens@awi.de).
Printable images and additional information can be found under: http://www.awi.de.
The Alfred Wegener Institute carries out research in the Arctic and Antarctic as well as in the high and mid latitude oceans. The institute coordinates German polar research and makes available to international science important infrastructure, e.g. the research icebreaker Polarstern and research stations in the Arctic and Antarctic. The Alfred Wegener Institute is one of 15 research centres within the Helmholtz Association, Germany’s largest scientific organization.
PRESS RELEASE
Alfred-Wegener-Institut fOceans, Antarctic, Germany, India, Press Releases2009-01-13T21:19:00+00:00Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) report now onlinehttp://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/sustaining_arctic_observing_networks_saon_initiating_group_report_online/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/sustaining_arctic_observing_networks_saon_initiating_group_report_online/The Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) report ‘Observing the Arctic’ is now ready for distribution. The presented conclusions have developed during a series of workshops involving 350 Arctic researchers, representatives of inter-governmental, national and subnational government agencies, representatives of indigenous peoples organizations, and residents of the Arctic. This process, referred to as the SAON-process, was initiated as a response to the request from Arctic Council ministers at their meeting in Salekhard, Russia in November 2006. The report was drafted by the SAON Initiating Group and is directed to organizations, agencies, governments, networks and programs involved in all aspects of Arctic observing.
Download the report (PDF) directly, or visit the site, ArcticOberving.orgParticipants, Press, Atmosphere, Ice, Land, Oceans, People, Space, Arctic, Announcements2009-01-12T19:40:01+00:00New issues of the Australian Antarctic Magazinehttp://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/new_issues_of_the_australian_antarctic_magazine/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/new_issues_of_the_australian_antarctic_magazine/The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has published several further issues of the Australian Antarctic Magazine:
The latest issue of the Australian Antarctic Magazine (Issue 15, 2008) looks at the changes wrought in Antarctica by the signing of the Antarctic Treaty 50 years ago; ocean acidification; and Australia’s science program for 2009. It is also available as a PDF.
Issue 13 looks at the connections between Antarctic science and policy and how the Australian Antarctic Division is increasing and strengthening them. The issue also contains stories about three new marine mammal projects, working in Antarctica, and our Antarctic Arts Fellows.
Issue 14 features among other things research conducted for two of Australia’s major International Polar Year projects, the first passenger flight of the A319 to Wilkins, and the activities of our Arts Fellows.Participants, Press, Atmosphere, Ice, Land, Oceans, People, Space, Bi-polar, Australia, Announcements2009-01-08T19:33:00+00:00IPY Report: January 2009http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/ipy_report_january_2009/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/ipy_report_january_2009/Content:
1. IPY after February 2009
2. Promoting your project in February, 2009
3. Polar Days
4. APECS
5. AGU Report
Report no. 21, January 2009
From: IPY International Programme Office
To: IPY Project Coordinators
cc: IPY Community Google Groups
1. IPY after February 2009
Colleagues and friends regularly ask us what the “IPY plan” is for 2009 and 2010, and “What will happen to the IPO?”.&nbsp; The answer for IPY varies by country and project.&nbsp; Some countries will hold closing events in February and March this year.&nbsp; Other national programmes will continue IPY research through Arctic 2009 and Antarctic 2009/2010 seasons and beyond, driven by financial and logistical factors in the last two years.&nbsp; In IPO we consider the closing events and the continuing research as important parts of IPY.&nbsp; We hope that those of you with on-going research will continue to share your news and stories via IPY.org.
The IPO seeks funding for an additional 18 months of operation, covering March 2009 through September 2010.&nbsp; We call this the IPO ‘Hand-Over’ period, wherein we find long-term partners for many of the IPY activities, support assessments and evaluations, keep ipy.org active, represent IPY at prominent events, and generally maintain the internal connections and external relations at a high level through the Oslo 2010 Science Conference.&nbsp; Contact Dave () to know more about these hand-over plans or to contribute much-needed funds.
The IPY Conference in Oslo, June 8-12th 2010, will be the first opportunity for the broad range of IPY researchers to share their results in an interdisciplinary and international forum. More details about this conference can be found at: http://www.ipy-osc.org/
We are also keen to share information about national and local events occurring in conjunction with IPY,- please email Rhian () to add details of your celebration to this page:
/index.php?/ipy/detail/feb09_celebrations
2. Promoting your project in February, 2009
On February 25th, 2009, the International Polar Year 2007-8 will celebrate the two years of IPY research with a press conference, ceremony and reception in Geneva, Switzerland.&nbsp; At that time, the IPY Joint Committee will release a report on “The State of Polar Research”.&nbsp; We hope that the February Celebrations will draw wide international media and political interest in polar research.&nbsp; We encourage all IPY participants to consider promoting your involvement with IPY during the weeks leading up to this event.
All IPY Participants:
Whatever your involvement with IPY, consider using this increased media attention as an opportunity to promote your activity,- in the field, classroom, local community, or country. Local media in particular will be interested in profiling your engagement in IPY, in the context of the ‘bigger picture’ that we can help supply.
IPY Projects:
We are asking every IPY project interested in media attention to choose a unique date to be profiled between January 20th and February 20th, 2009. On this date we will help promote your project via:
- a press release or story for IPY.org, and wider circulation around journalists
- scientists to be available for interview
- additional media information (images, film, international contacts available for interview, etc) as appropriate for the project, probably hosted on your own website
We also ask for a photo and brief project description for the February media page:
/index.php?/ipy/detail/feb09_projects/
To have your project highlighted in this way, please contact Rhian ().
3. Polar Days
Many thanks to all our many partners who participated in ‘Above The Poles’ Day on December 4th, 2008. The Day was a great opportunity to profile a diverse range of research from atmospheric studies and meteorology to astronomy and observation, and we received very positive feedback from students around the world.
The next Polar Day will focus on Polar Oceans and occur between March 18th and 25th. The Day will include an ocean-related classroom activity translated in many languages, several live events connecting students around the world with polar researchers, and web pages filled with activities and scientific information about current ocean research.
We are currently looking for scientists involved in ocean-related research who would like to become involved in these events around the world,- please pass this message on to colleagues and students who might be interested in participating in IPY Education and Outreach. For more information, please contact Nicola Munro () and Rhian Salmon ().
4. APECS
The APECS Directorate office is now located at the University of Tromso in Norway, sponsored by the Norwegian Research Council and the University. The goals of the office for the next year are to strengthen ties with existing organizations with the goal of supporting international and interdisciplinary collaborations and integrating education and outreach into research projects. APECS is planning a summer school in Svalbard in June together with UNIS and UArctic and another in January at Bellingshausen with the International Arctic Research Center and others. Plans for a Virtual Poster Session featuring projects by young researchers is under development and hopes to be launched by March. APECS is also seeking young researchers interested in getting more involved and learning more about polar research to take on roles of Research Discipline Coordinators. For more information, please visit: http://www.apecs.is or contact Director Jenny Baeseman at {encode="jbaeseman@gmail.com" title="jbaeseman@gmail.com
5. AGU report
Polar science and IPY had a strong presence at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, in Union, Cryosphere and many other sessions.&nbsp; Many of us also enjoyed an IPY party at the San Francisco Exploratorium.&nbsp; IPO thanks the many organizers and partners who helped us with the party, the press conferences, the side meetings, the exhibits, the teacher programmes, and the science sessions.&nbsp;Educators, Participants, Press, Atmosphere, Ice, Land, Oceans, People, Space, Arctic, Antarctic, Bi-polar, Announcements2009-01-07T21:04:00+00:00The UK Polar Network presents: Atmosphere and Modelling Skills Workshophttp://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/the_uk_polar_network_presents_atmosphere_and_modelling_skills_workshop/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/the_uk_polar_network_presents_atmosphere_and_modelling_skills_workshop/British Antarctic Survey, 29th April - 1st May 2009Participants, Atmosphere, Ice, Land, Oceans, Space, Bi-polar, United Kingdom, Announcements2008-12-18T05:58:00+00:00AGU press advisory: The Arctic in Flux: New Insights from the International Polar Yearhttp://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/agu_press_advisory_the_arctic_in_flux_new_insights_from_the_international_p/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/agu_press_advisory_the_arctic_in_flux_new_insights_from_the_international_p/AGU 2008 Fall Meeting
Media advisory: Tuesday, 16 December
0900h
Continuing climate changes in the Arctic received renewed scientific attention during the International Polar Year (IPY)Ice, Oceans, Arctic, Press Releases2008-12-16T20:48:00+00:00Zhongshan Station: Hub of Chinese Scientific Research in East Antarcticahttp://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/zhongshan_station_hub_of_chinese_scientific_research_in_east_antarctica/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/zhongshan_station_hub_of_chinese_scientific_research_in_east_antarctica/Zhongshan Station serves as the logistical hub of Chinese scientific research activities in East Antarctica and in the near future it will be a support platform for the new Kunlun Station to be constructed at Dome A. Situated in a small ice-free coastal region between the ice sheet and the ocean, Zhongshan Station serves as a base for scientists conducting research at the station and out in the field.
In his latest report, SciencePoles reporter Jean de Pomereu not only gives readers an update on the latest happenings at Zhongshan, where he is currently based, but he also talks about some of the notable scientific research China is undertaking from Zhongshan Station, including:
PANDA, a multidisciplinary cluster of research projects focusing on the ice mass balance, ice dynamics, and ice-ocean interaction in East Antarctica - China’s leading research contribution to the IPY.
Studies of lower and upper atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry, meteorology and katabatic winds.
Studies of the geological and tectonic history as well as hunting for meteorites in the nearby ice-free Groves Mountains.Atmosphere, Ice, Oceans, Antarctic, China2008-12-10T18:18:00+00:00IPY Report: December 2008http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/ipy_report_december_2008/
http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/ipy_report_december_2008/Content:
1. IPY Data letters to National Committees
2. Publications, Reports, Special Issues
3. IPY Celebrations, February 2009
4. IPY at AGU Conference, December 2008
5. Current Antarctic Season
6. Images
7. IPY Closure over Holiday Season
Report no. 20, December 2008
From: IPY International Programme Office
To: IPY Project Coordinators
cc: IPY Community Google Groups
1.&nbsp; IPY Data Management letters
The IPY Joint Committee co-chairs have sent Data Management letters to 10 IPY National Committees (Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK).&nbsp; These letters encourage those countries that have national IPY data coordination efforts, perhaps stimulate those that do not, and generally seek the assistance of the National Committees in ensuring that IPY Projects led from their countries submit urgent metadata information to IPYDIS or to a national data system linked to IPYDIS.&nbsp; In all cases we work toward a goal of identification of all IPY data by 1 March 2009.&nbsp; If you as a Coordinator of an IPY Project receive an inquiry from your National IPY Committee, now you know why.
If you believe a letter would have a positive effect in your country, please contact Dave Carlson ().
2. Publications, Reports, Special Issues
We know that many IPY Projects and several IPY National Committees begin to produce documents: prominent publications, collections of publications in special issues of polar journals, pamphlets and books, etc.&nbsp; For each IPY publication, authors should provide the IPY Publications Database with (i) one or more electronic links (DOI, URL) to the publication, or (ii) the actual publication.&nbsp; Further details, including where to submit contributions, are provided on the Reporting Your Publications page at http://www.nisc.com/ipy.&nbsp; We also like to see: stories on IPY.org (such as the nice story with pictures about late season methane release this week); hard or digital copies of project or national reports, particularly those not submitted as scientific publications; notice of special issues devoted to IPY Projects.&nbsp; Eventually, the IPO will ask all IPY Projects and probably all National Committees for summary materials.&nbsp; These reports and special issues will help fulfill that request.
Submit your information to any member of the IPO staff.
3. IPY Celebrations, February 2009
On February 25th, 2009, the International Polar Year 2007-8 will be celebrating these two years of IPY research in conjunction with a report on the “State of Polar Research” being released by the IPY Joint Committee. We hope that the February Celebrations will draw wide international media and political interest in polar research. In light of this, we encourage project leads to consider promoting your IPY research during the weeks leading up to this event. The IPO is very happy to discuss details of media campaigns and materials further, either directly with project leads or associated media contacts.
Webpages dedicated to February events and media releases will be created on IPY.org shortly. This will be an opportunity for all IPY partners to promote your projects, share your plans, and advertise your availability for interviews. For further information about activities occurring at this time, or to discuss promotion of your project, please contact Rhian Salmon ().
4. IPY at AGU Conference, December 2008
IPY will once again have an exhibit space at AGU, shared with the NSF Office of Polar Programmes. Please feel free to use the booth as a meeting point, and to leave any information you would like distributed relevant to your project.
There is also an enormous range of polar sessions, workshops, and meetings occurring at AGU this year. Here are some to look out for:
Monday 15
AM:&nbsp; Cryosphere IPY Poster Session (C11C)
PM:&nbsp; Union IPY Poster Session (U13B); Union Rapid Arctic Change Poster Session (U13C)
Tuesday 16
AM:&nbsp; 0900: AGU press conference for Union Sessions U23F and U42B, later that afternoon; 1000 - 1200 IPY EOC meeting - contact Rhian (ipy.ras@gmail.com), all welcome
PM:&nbsp; Union IPY Presentations (U23F); followed by Union Rapid Arctic Change Presentations (U24B); Nye Lecture (M. Albert) at 1700
Wednesday 17
AM:&nbsp; Cryosphere IPY Presentations (C31G); Education IPY EOC Presentations (E31B, E32A);
PM:&nbsp; Education IPY EOC Posters (E33A)
Thursday 18
PM:&nbsp; APECS meeting (1200 to 1400) - contact Jen Baeseman (jbaeseman@gmail.com)
Thursday eve (8pm onwards): IPY reception/celebration IPY at the Exploratorium: all IPY partners welcome
5. Current Antarctic Season
The 2008-9 Antarctic Season has already started with many IPY activities in the Southern Ocean, with three major traverses (China, Japan-Sweden, Norway-US), with airborne exploration of the Gamburtsev range, with continued deployment of seismic and GPS stations as part of POLENET, and more.
Whatever you are doing in Antarctica this season, please consider sharing your experiences through stories and blogs on IPY.org. (Contact if interested.)
6. Images
The IPY IPO is building anEducators, Participants, Press, Atmosphere, Ice, Land, Oceans, People, Space, Arctic, Antarctic, Bi-polar, Announcements2008-12-09T02:16:00+00:00